In the same way that Peter Far‘s IUS is more than just a musical project, so Observers II is more than merely an album of songs. Of course, there are songs to be found here, in the way that most music is, to some degree, song-related, but here these take the form of succulent soundscapes and progressive structures, ambient drifts and atmospheric spaces.
If these seven pieces, which vary in length between short cinematic soundbites and longer sonic suites, feel as if they might be the soundtrack to a film yet unwritten, it then comes as no surprise to find that Peter himself also works in the realms of film and short stories, as well as developing a text-based interactive horror game. Music, it would seem, is just another way of telling his stories, only here it is done through the affect of sound, which, let’s face it, is often a much more eloquent medium than mere words.
“You Are Not a Sinner” opens the album, a magnum opus in its own right, a long, brooding, ever-evolving musical line that weaves through dark sonic designs and a growling sense of dread, growing anticipation, and the feeling that the music is carrying you towards a lurking threat that lies at the end of the track.
Having laid out a loose template, one where strings and electronica move deftly together, analog steps learning a new digital dance, as the album moves forward from that majestic opener, new sounds are successively woven through the tapestry. With the title track, distant beats and throbbing bass lines help move the music along; half-heard yet subliminally felt, “The Saviour’s” brooding cello is joined by voice-as-instrument inclusions, and “The Sleeping Sun” wanders into anthemic, alt-rock realms where raw guitar textures battle for dominance with chiming synths.
“In God We Trust” rounds out the album, a great mix of picked acoustic and bluesy slide work, all of which builds slowly into a howling, metallic-infused, sonic squall, a great final statement in an album of eloquent artistry.
Observers II is many things; it is at turns subdued and expansive, compelling and creative, calm and crescendo-driven, hushed and harsh, and all the other opposites that, when wielded this elegantly, become so attractive. It is about song and score, instrumental and intrigue, and without words to draw you to obvious conclusions, it can mean all things to all people.
Who cant find plenty to love in all that?
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